It’s been my trick since my daughter was three: Reverse psychology role playing. (I made that up myself!)

Here’s the thing; my daughter hates brushing her hair. She has long, wavy, often unruly hair. At times it gets quite tangled and requires an extensive brushing session. Now, she isn’t necessarily tender headed, but she can only take so much tugging and pulling on her poor little scalp before she begins to complain that I am hurting her. Sometimes that whining would turn to sincere tears, which of course always make me feel bad.

I decided one night that I’d try to lighten the situation, hoping to discourage the whining, by reversing roles. I told her, “How about I be the Jada and you be the Mommy?” She wasn’t sure where I was going with this, so I began my part (as I continued to brush her hair throughout the dialogue):

Me: (in a smaller, whiny voice) “Mommy, it really hurts me when you pull my hair so hard.”

Jada: (catching on surprisingly quickly; in her best soothing, mothering voice) “Well baby, I know. But I have to get the tangles out.”

Me: “But… it really hurts me.”

Jada: “I know. I’m sorry. I just have to do it.”

Me: “Mommy, do you think you could brush easier?”

Jada: “Yes baby, I’ll be easy.”

Me: (when I realize that I must be really hurting her poor little head) “Oh Mommy, that really hurts!!”

Jada: “I know, you have some really big tangles! I’ll try to be easy.”

Me: “Oww, oww, owww! That really does hurt me Mommy! Please be more gentle!”

And so on, you get the picture. But I was so happy to find her playing along so nicely, and she was so preoccupied responding to me that she completely forgot about her own complaining. When it came to a tough tangle, and I could see her wince, I’d complain before she could. That way, she knew that I understood that it was hurting her, and she was able to respond to me like she would want me to respond to her. If you try this method, and your child isn’t so quick to cooperate, just playfully say, “No, no, you’re supposed to say this…” and feed them some lines for their role. Stay in character, and hopefully they will catch on and play along too.

This is one scenario, but it could be used in many different cases. Eating something that they don’t like, putting medicine on a scraped knee, whatever incites protests in your home. So, if there is one thing in particular that your child whines about every time, you may find that this is a fun way to lighten the mood.

If you have a similar story to share, or a method that you have found works really well for discouraging whining, I’d love to hear from you!

Here’s a neat trick: To get those super sticky Band-Aid’s off of your child without the pain, heat it with a blow dryer on low for about 30 seconds before pulling it off. This will melt the adhesive making removinal a cinch!

I’ve also read that soaking a cotton ball in baby or olive oil and rubbing it over the bandage will cause it to fall off easily as well.

Normally, I just let my little one play in the tub with it on until it’s loose enough to easily pull off. But these are some good tips for times when a bath wouldn’t be practical.

I love these things! They are great for babies eating finger foods, especially when you are at a restaurant and you don’t want your little one eating directly off a dirty table, or trying to keep him from throwing his plate on the floor. I’ve even found that I can usually wipe the mat off clean and put it right back in my bag to be used another time. Most of them have sticky strips on the back that you can peel off and stick to the table to prevent it from sliding around, but if you peel the whole strip off the first time around, it won’t be sticky again for another usage. A great way to keep it sticking even longer is to only peel a little bit of paper off the sticky strip each time. Since these are kind of a luxury item (to me anyway), this tip will help you stretch them a little further!

With Summer fast approaching, and in honor of my own upcoming family flight, I thought it might be helpful if I did a post on flying with young children. Personally, I’ve been flying my entire life, at least four times a year from the time I was about 3 yrs. old until I was 15. A lot has changed over the years, and now that I have children of my own to fly with, I have even more to consider while preparing for my trip. This past November I flew by myself with my two young children ( then ages 4 and 9 mos). I learned a few tricks while on that trip, and I thought I’d pass along some helpful advice to you who may be new to all of this. So here goes;

• First I suggest viewing your airlines website, and reading all of their rules and regulations regarding: flying with children, what kind of carseats are acceptable, what you can pack and how to pack it, what you can bring on the plane, etc. After you have read everything, call the help line with any further questions you may have. Every airline is a little different, so don’t assume you know it all.
• Don’t forget to bring birth certificates for your children!!

Traveling with an infant. Most airlines will not charge you extra for traveling with an infant/child under the age of 2. However, if you insist on using a carseat on the plane, you will need to purchase a separate ticket for that seat. OR, you can bring the carseat to the gate with you, and if there is an open seat on the plane, you may be allowed to use it for your child. If there is not an empty seat they will “gate check” the seat and keep it up front for you until you get off the plane. Your carseat may be considered a carry on.

You can “Gate check” a stroller as well. They will take it as you board the plane, and it will be ready for you when you leave. It may be considered a carry on too.

An infant carrier, like a Baby Bjorn or something is very helpful if you have an infant. It’s much easier to carry your child this way than trying to push a stroller along with luggage. However, you may not be able to use it while seated on the plane.

Bringing food and drinks on the plane. Every airline may have different policies regarding what you can bring on the plane, and how much. Again, read your airlines Carryon Baggage Tips to see what is allowed. Most will allow baby food and bottles, as long as you show it to them at the security checkpoint. Dry foods are permitted. Here are a few snacks that I like to bring for my kids to munch on:

• Goldfish
• Cheerios
• Raisins
• Trail Mix
• Peanut Butter Crackers
• Cookies

It’s also a good idea to bring snacks that encourage salivation. The more your child swallows, the more it will help to alleviate pressure in their ears. Candy is a good choice; if you don’t allow candy, consider letting this be a special treat for the flight. Gum is an excellent choice, if your child is mature enough to handle it. I also like:

• Gummy bears
• Sour Patch Kids
• Suckers
• Push pops

I don’t suggest chocolate, as it has caffeine, and it can be messy if dropped or if it melts. Just don’t give them TOO much candy. You don’t want a sugar rushed kid bouncing off the walls of a very confined airplane! Bring munchies that won’t be too messy. If it’s dinner time, consider packing a sandwich and some fruit to bring with you on the plane.

The flight will provide beverages, but they have a small selection, mostly sodas. They do offer water and Apple Juice and maybe fruit punch; I’m not sure about milk though.

If you can bring a full bottle or sippy cup with you, it would be better. You won’t be served a drink until you are up in the air, and your child will need to be swallowing during take-off and landing to equalize the pressure in their ears. Even if you don’t plan on bringing a drink with you onto the plane, I suggest bringing an empty sippy cup (or bottle) for each child. The flimsy, wide mouthed plastic cups that they serve drinks in are inevitably going to be spilled. It would be best to have a spill-proof cup for your child’s beverage. Ask for a lid for your own cup as well. On my last flight my drink got spilled all over the floor, and my lap. The stewardess, seeing that I was a mom on my own, brought me a drink with a lid the next time!

Entertaining your child while traveling. It is a must to bring something to entertain your child while in flight, regardless of how long the trip is! Of course, everything should be age appropriate. Toys, books, games, etc. are always good options. My most favorite memories of flying as a child were when we would board the plane, and I was allowed to open my “surprise” bag for the trip. My mom would always pack each of us a little gift bag, full of candy, games and crafts to do on the plane. I love doing this for my own children now. I buy little things from the dollar store, and pack them in a special bag to be opened on the plane. Some of my favorite things to bring for my kids are:

• A portable CD player (w/ headphones) and music and books on tape.
• Molding clay, or silly putty. They don’t crumble like playdough, or dry out.
• Crayola Color Wonder markers + coloring pad. They only make marks on the paper.
• Elmer’s Go Paint. These paint brushes only “paint” on special paper. No mess.
• Crayola Anti-roll crayons. They are flat on one side, so they won’t roll off the tray onto the floor.
• A disposable camera.
• An activity pad (mazes, games, etc.)
• A small pony, or doll, or car. Just a little toy to play with.
• A couple of my child’s favorite toys from home.
• Baby board books.
• Bring a little puppet to pretend play with.

Non-messy things. Only toys that won’t roll away. Nothing with lots of small pieces. And no noise makers. Be considerate of your fellow passengers; most of them can’t tune out the constant beeping sound of baby’s toy car like you can.

If you have a layover (which may be a good thing!), some airports have activities for your child to enjoy while waiting for your next flight. Museums, kid’s play areas, and other fun and free attractions are found at many large airports. You should research the airports you will be traveling to and see if they may have something like this for your child!

Finding the right seats. If your airline doesn’t have assigned seating, you’re in luck! The choicest seat on the plane is the “bulkhead” seat. This is the first row of seats on the plane. Nobody sits in front of them. These are preferred because they have more leg room. This means that your child would be able to sit on the floor and play, or at least get out of his/her seat to stretch their legs during the flight. If you can’t get the bulkhead, try to sit as close to the front of the plane as possible. The farther back you go, the louder it gets. And don’t sit right over the wing; that’s where the engines are and it’s incredibly noisy. I made this mistake on my first flight with the kids. It was so loud that my daughter couldn’t even hear me reading her book to her, and I was right in her ear! And of course you can’t sit next to an emergency exit. If you can sit next to a window, let your child have that spot. They will love looking out over the clouds and the land far below!

What to carry on for your child. If you have an infant, bring a diaper bag stocked full of everyday essentials. Make sure to bring a change of clothes for your child. If you have a potty training toddler, or even one who only has an occasional accident, I’d suggest putting them in a pull-up. I know you hate to make your trained child wear one, but there are times when you simply cannot get out of your seat, and if your child can’t hold it very long, you may be left with quite a mess. For peace of mind, you might want to consider it.

I’d also suggest bringing a carry on suitcase with all of your child’s belongings in it. Pack for the unexpected. If your plane gets delayed, or if you are stuck in an airport for a day or two, you don’t want to be left without basic necessities. Bring extra diapers, wipes, clothes, toothbrushes, etc, as well as any necessary medicines for your children, and carry it onto the plane with you, where it would be readily accessible. Think “just in case”.

Most importantly, have fun! If you are stressed, your kids will be stressed. Get to the airport early, so that you are not in a rush. Watch out the windows at the other planes as they take off and land. Talk to them about what’s going on. Take pictures together. Look out the window of the plane at the clouds and tell stories about all of you bouncing around on giant marshmallows in the sky! Make a tent over the seats and be silly. There are lots of things you can do to make this an amazing adventure for your children. And don’t worry about what other people are thinking. You aren’t there for anybody but your children anyway!

*UPDATE: Upon returning from our recent trip, I thought I’d share some time saving and other small tips with you that I thought of along the way:

• Instead of filling out all of those name tags to put on your belongings, bring along some address labels to speed up the process. Just peel and stick and be on your way!

• Don’t wear a belt if you can help it! It took me forever to go through the line, get through the metal detector, then have to go back through, take off my belt, re-try again, and then stand on the other side putting my belt back on.

• If you have a pretty long flight, or if you will be traveling during a meal time, you should pack sandwiches or something filling to eat during your trip. Most airlines are cutting back on what they serve, and you may not get much more than crackers and peanuts. Airport food is expensive, so if you can pack something to eat, you should. To keep it cool, it would be a good idea to pack your meats and such in a cooler bag. One that snaps onto another bag is ideal, since it will be counted as a carry on if carried by itself.
  • Note: You are allowed to bring food on the plane; however, if it is liquid, such as applesauce, yogurt, etc., it may not pass the security checkpoint if it is over 3 oz. I brought both of these liquid items with us and only once was stopped to have it “okayed” before being able to proceed through security.

• Don’t forget baby’s favorite blanket, stuffed animal, or whatever!! I found myself in a sudden panic when my baby boy started asking for his “Nigh(t) nigh(t)” and I couldn’t find his precious blankey anywhere! It took me a moment to remember that I had shoved it into his sister’s little carry on bag. Whew!

• If baby takes a pacifier, make sure to bring a spare. You probably already realize how easily these are lost or misplaced, and an airplane is no place to be with a fussy baby!
• Little Noses Saline Drops. The air at such a high altitude is dry, and can irritate baby’s sinuses.
  
• Put a small bag full of ice in the freezer. If there is a power outage while you are gone, the ice will melt and re-freeze as a solid block. This way you will know if your frozen foods have been thawed. (When we came home our clocks were blinking, so we knew that the power had been out; but we had no idea how long it had been off or if the food was safe to eat anymore. Fortunately, our neighbor was able to tell us that the power had only been out for about 20 min. Next time, I’ll use this trick.)
  

Can any of you think of any travel tips, advice, or even stories to share? We’d love to hear them!!

Kendra tagged me (thanks…), so instead of writing a whole new post for you all to read through, I’ll just add my comments next to Kendra’s in red

Thanks Tiffany , for tagging me! I really needed some easy material for this morning too! I don’t have much time to write, so this is great! Okay, here I go:

The rules: Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

What was I doing ten years ago?

Wow, ten years ago…

Ah yes, I remember. I had just turned 16, and was going through a VERY rebellious stage. This time ten years ago I had just been sent to live with my Father, who put me in a Christian school. This was probably the hardest year of my life!! Maybe I’ll tell that story one day!

I was in high school, playing soccer, running track and being a typical teenager. I had yet to really submit to the Lord as my authority (I was already saved, just still far from where I should be spiritually). The next year marked the biggest pivotal point in my life when I moved to live with my dad. He put me in a Christian school (as well) and the Lord used that time to change my life dramatically for His glory…perhaps I will tell that story later, too

What are five (non-work) things on my to-do list for today:

• Lesson time about Folktales (story reading, puppet, and flannel board activity.)
• Water play outside (little pool, fishing w/ magnet pole, sprinkler…)
• Get A/C fixed! Yay!!
• CVSing
• Grocery Shopping

• Make more baby food
• Take a nap (we had a friend over last night until 1:30 am! He is moving out of town, so it was our last time to visit him for a while)
• Make some bread
• Go outside with my son and read more about missionary "Mary Slessor" (biography) - almost done!
  
• Fold laundry

5 Snacks I enjoy:

Ooh, I love snacks!! It’s hard to chose…

• CHOCOLATE!!
• Flaming Hot Cheetos (love them!)
• Salsa w/ cream cheese and Doritos
• Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Breyers Ice Cream

• CHOCOLATE!! (he..he - me too)
  
• Sour Cream and onion chips
  
• Salsa w/ cream cheese and Doritos
• Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Breyers Ice Cream

(ok, so basically the same as Ken - we grew up eating the same things!)

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

We can dream, can’t we??

Well, I would save a lot of it. I’d put away money for retirement, I’d invest some, and I’d save a lot for my kids when they have grown. I’d bless the church with a lot of it. I’d let my husband build his dream skatepark ministry for the youth in the community. I’d build my dream GREEN home. I’d start a small farm on my land. I’d buy a couple of newer, safe cars for me and hubby to drive. I’d travel, and give my kids tons of exciting experiences, including lots of mission trips! I’d pay off my parent’s and parents-in-law’s debt. I’d buy my mom a house so that she wouldn’t have to struggle so much. I’d give my sister a million $$. I guess those would be my top priorities.

Wow!!! I hope Kendra gets a billion dollars! Hmmm…well, much like Kendra, I would invest and save a portion of it. I’d buy some land (since land is a great investment). I’d also build a GREEN home Buy a pool (I LOVE swimming, but hate going to the public pools because of the immodesty). Ummm…I’d use much of it to bless and take care of our family. But most importantly, I’d really like to use the majority of it to forward the cause of Christ by giving towards missions, to my church, perhaps paying for the education of some aspiring preachers and missionaries, etc.).

Places I have lived:

Without being too specific,

• California (same)
• Colorado (same)
• Somewhere on the East Coast (I’ll be a little mysterious here) (same)

Jobs I have had:

• Daycare worker (floater, nursery worker, lead 3& 4 yr. old teacher)
• Kid’s Computer Teacher
• Office Assistant (boring!!)
• Spanish Tutor
• Home Daycare
• Assistant Website Designer
• Tax preparer

• Daycare worker (during high school)
  
• Summer Daycamp worker (during high school)
• Cashier (during high school)
• Worked in a bakery (during college)
• Worked at the Dining Hall at my college
• Residence Hall Assistant (during college)
• Administrative Assistant (after college)

Okay, so now I’m going to tag 5 people…

• My sister (her answers differ dramatically from mine, and are probably more interesting!)
• Candace at A Garden of Blessings
• Stephanie at Keeper Of The Home
• All The Days Of My Life
• Amanda at Blessings All Mine

Hope you guys can play along!

Making your own baby wipes will save you big $$ through the years!

Here is the recipe that I use (NOTE: The brand doesn’t matter, so cheaper is better!):

Get 1 cup of water boiling in a small sauce pan. Once it reaches boiling, take it off the burner and add the above ingredients. Mix well until all is dissolved. When the mixture is cooled off a little, pour it over your wipes. You can store the finished wipes in an empty wipes container, or a plastic storage container.

Now for the wipes themselves, you have a couple options. You can use Viva brand paper towels (they are super soft, and strong). Cut each paper towel into four squares. I make a stack of about 10 paper towels, then cut them into fourths. Keep doing this until you have a big enough stack.

Or for all of you who are going green (or to save even more money), cut squares from all of those extra baby receiving blankets, and make reusable wipes. Just wash and use again!

Baby Titus… what am I going to do with him?

I keep hearing how hard it is to break a child of sucking his thumb. And on top of that, he’s recently become particularly fond of this one blanket he so affectionately refers to as “Nigh(t) nigh(t)” (the t’s are silent). I keep wondering what I should do about all this!

At first I told myself that when he turned 1 yr. old I would start training him to stop sucking his thumb. I was going to sew an undershirt with enclosed sleeves, so that when he was sleeping he could not get his thumb in his mouth. But… I guess I changed my mind. And I know it sounds terrible to say, but he’s so DARN CUTE sitting there with his thumb in his mouth!! He only does it when he’s sleepy. So now I don’t know what I should do. The pediatrician pretty much just said “Good luck!” He wasn’t much help.

The blanket is his new thing. When Titus gets tired he waddles into his room, pulls his “Night night” from between the crib slats, and waddles back into the living area with his thumb in his mouth and the blanket up close to his face. This is his way of telling me he’s ready for a nap. It really is cute, now… but I have a horrible vision of him as a 5 year old having a huge temper tantrum in the middle of Walmart because he forgot his raggidy old blankey at home!

So, I was hoping to solicit some advice from you more seasoned mothers out there. Is this something that I should just let go, he’ll outgrow it eventually? Should I take the blanket away before it really becomes a problem? Should I alternate blankets so he doesn’t get attached to this particular one? Would it be okay if I just give him his blankey at nap time, but not drag it with us everywhere we go? And what about the thumb sucking… any suggestions or personal experience?? I can’t wait to hear your advice!!

Wish This Was My Diaper Bag!

As moms, we have to be prepared for everything! If we are caught off guard in any unpredictable situation it could be miserable for everybody. Ever been out-and-about and have a newborn’s diaper explode while in the carseat, and it just so happens that this is the one time you forgot to pack a change of clothes, or worse, an extra diaper? Or have you ever been out shopping with your potty training toddler, and all of a sudden your child is standing in a puddle (yet it hasn’t rained for days!), and of coarse you forgot to bring a change of clothes for her?! We’ve all had a similar situation at one time or another. Not only can this be frustrating and embarrassing, but also expensive!

I remember this one time I was heading to the mall with my sweet 2 yr. old asleep in her carseat. All was fine. When I parked the car and went to get her out, however, I discovered that she had had an accident in her seat while sleeping. Of coarse I didn’t have a change of clothes for her. So, I put her in the stroller, and headed right for the kids clothing store to buy the cheapest thing I could find for her to wear. That money could have been saved had I been better prepared!

I thought it might be helpful to some of you for me to write a Diaper Bag Survival Guide. There is an art to organizing a diaper bag successfully.

There are 5 main categories to consider:

1. Diapering Necessities
2. Feeding Accessories
3. Health and Wellness
4. Entertainment
5. Mommy’s Stuff

There are also 5 stages of diaper bag packing:

1. Newborn
2. Walking Baby
3. Potty Training Toddler
4. Preschooler
5. Packing for Two (or more)

This post would be forever long if I tried to go through each stage and list every single item that should be packed in your diaper bag. Since I am at the Packing For Two stage (a 1 year old and a 4 year old), I will give you a peak inside my own diaper bag. It will cover most of the other stages, and I will add a few suggestions as well. Of coarse the amount of some things that you pack will depend on the length of your outing. For now I will assume we are packing for no longer than 4 hours.

Diapering Necessities

Diapers (4)

Travel Size Wipes

Diaper Cream

Changing Table Pad

Disposable Changing Table Covers (2)

Scented Diaper Bags (2)

An Extra Outfit (make sure it’s the right size, right season; put in a ziploc bag)

Disposable Washcloths (2)

For Potty Training Toddlers you will need a few different things: Extra change of undies and pants, a reward chart and stickers (if you are doing that), flushable wipes, and Potty Toppers (or a nice luxury- a travel potty seat). The disposable changing table pads come in really handy for messy newborn diapers especially. It’s a great way to protect your changing pad, or to use on a public changing table. They are also perfect for throwing in your purse if you don’t want to carry a huge diaper bag and changing pad. The disposable washcloths are for those unexpected blow-outs in public places. You know the kind; all the way up the back, down to their toes, covered in watery poop. All you can do is put them in the sink and scrub them down. The scented diaper bags are wonderful for throwing away a stinky diaper in someone else’s trash can (without feeling embarrassed about leaving such an awful, lingering odor), or if you need to keep the diaper in your diaper bag until you find a trash can.

Feeding Accessories

Disposable Placemats (2)

Disposable Bibs (2)

Spoons (2)

Hand Sanitizing Wipes

Snacks

Labeled Sippy Cups

These are things useful for walking baby/toddler age and older. For newborns don’t forget bottles, burp cloths, baby food, and any nursing accessories you may need (including something to cover up with). The placemats are wonderful for using at restaurants, especially when baby is too young to handle eating off of a very breakable plate, but you don’t want them eating directly off the dirty table. Most have a sticky tape you can peel off the back so that it sticks to the table. Very handy! Disposable Bibs are cool cause you don’t have to pack up a dirty bib (although you could), instead you just toss it when you’re done. Labeling sippy cups (or bottles) is a good idea when you have more than one cup, or your baby will be among other babies. Keren has a cute idea for making personalized rubber cup/bottle labels HERE.

A nice way to pack this stuff is to put the feeding accessories into a ziploc bag, like this:

Keeps it all together, and clean.

Health and Wellness

First Aid Kit

Tissues

Infant Pain Reliever

Teething Remedies

Any necessary medicine

Sunscreen

Sanitizing Wipes (none pictured here)

For newborns, you may also want to bring along a pair of nail clippers, a nasal aspirator and some saline drops. If there are any important medications which your child needs, make sure you pack some to have at all times. Also, if your child has a cold or allergies, bring along some relief for that as well. Your first aid kit should at least have Band-Aids, antiseptic wipes, and antibiotic ointment. Tylenol or Motrin is important to have at all times, cause you never know when you might wish you had some (maybe for you and baby!). Sanitizing wipes, like Clorox or Lysol, are nice to have for wiping down shopping carts, restaurant high chairs, and other germy things your kids will be touching. Keep sunscreen with you as well. You may just decide to make an impromptu stop at the park, and it’s important to keep your kids protected for the sun’s harmful rays. A lotion with bug repellent is an extra nice bonus. Avon Bug Guard is the best; I recommend it to everybody!

Entertainment

Babies:

Quiet and Noisy Toys

Small Board Books

Teethers

Links

Preschoolers:

Activity Books

Crayons or Markers

Small Toys

Magazine or Small Book

Stickers

Hairbands (1-2)

I really recommend having a few links in your bag for babies and toddlers. They are great to connect to sippy cups and toys when your child is in a shopping cart, high chair, or carseat. It’s an easy way to keep baby’s things off the floor. If you have a little girl with long hair, it’s a good idea to keep a few little hair bands in the bag, just in case the one she has in breaks, or if you need to pull her hair back to eat.

Mommy’s Stuff

Wallet

Keys

Cell Phone

Chapstick

Any Makeup you need

Hair band

Small Sewing Kit

Notepad

Pen

Calculator

Hand Sanitizer

Lotion

And, whatever else you may need. If you are beginning nursing, you might need nursing pads, and some lanolin. I like carrying a small sewing kit for a couple reasons. It seems like the times when I don’t have it are the times when somebody asks me if I have a safety pin. Also, I have torn a slit up the back of my skirt before, and was very glad that I had a needle and thread to fix my potentially embarrassing accident. Calculator for frugal shopping (of course!).

So, there you go. All that stuff placed strategically in your cute little diaper bag, and you are ready to go!

Here’s mine. Not very chic, but it does the job! And my husband isn’t embarrassed to carry it.

So, did I forget anything? Anybody have any suggestions for things that they can’t live without in their diaper bag?

Go ahead and say it, I know you’re thinking it. It’s what I thought too, Oh my goodness! That’s ridiculous! How in the world did my kids get SO MANY TOYS? And believe me, I’m a purger. This isn’t because I’ve been hoarding everything. These are the things that have just accumulated in toy boxes and baskets. It’s time to DE-CLUTTER! I’m tired of the kids pulling EVERYTHING out, and then them being overwhelmed when it’s time to clean up the mess. I’m taking this thing by the horns.

So, I went through the house and found every toy that I could find. I know it’s not all of them, some are in my mother-in-law’s basement for storage, but unbelievably all of these toys were hiding in the corners of my humble home. So, I spread everything out (while the kids slept of course), and began the daunting task of separating into boxes: TO KEEP, NOT TO KEEP. As I went along, I found it to be harder than I thought. Emotionally I mean. As I sorted I found myself wanting to keep more than I had intended. The problem is that my daughter really does play with most of the things I wanted to oust. What do I do? Do I get rid of them just because there are too many? She honestly has a good time playing with them. And then there were the toys that she used to play with a lot when she was younger, but now has grown out of. Baby boy might like to play with them when he gets a little bigger, so I decided to keep them too. Oh, decisions, decisions!

So, I ended up keeping some, boxing some up to sell, and boxing some up to store. I guess this is a good compromise. Initially I thought, I will let my daughter keep 10 toys, and get rid of the rest. Well, it didn’t quite work out so nicely. I have a love for educational toys, so most of what I kept are “lesson time” teaching toys. That’s okay, right? I did let my daughter go through her My Little Pony collection, and choose only 3 to keep of the tons that she had. Surprisingly, she happily chose her three, very decidedly I must say, and had no problem with me getting rid of the rest. Good for her.

So, here’s what I boxed up. These boxes were actually quite big, though they don’t look it in the picture. Stuffed animals…see ya! Small toys, almost all are gone. All of the Fisher Price Little People things are boxed up. And a select few toys remain. Finally, that project is done! For more Tackle It projects, check out 5 Minutes For Mom.

I’d like to know: How do you manage your toy surplus? What do you tell your kids when it’s time to purge? Do you have a limit as to how many toys you keep?

So, here’s the question: What are we supposed to do with all of the wonderful crafts and pictures that our children so proudly make for us??

We can’t throw them away, at least not without some amount of guilt (and prayers that our child doesn’t find his masterpiece in the trash)! And if we kept every little thing that they ever made we’d soon be investing in an addition to the house dedicated to the storage of these priceless little gems.

Believe me, I cherish every little doodle, every little craft that my daughter makes for me. BUT, I am prone to quarterly de-cluttering in my home, and am not one to be a pack rat, or keep things that no longer have a practical use. We live in a small, humble home, and I don’t have room for unnecessary piles in every corner of my closet. So, I have had to come up with a solution to this problem of what to do with these precious mementos of my little one’s childhood.

Here are some solutions:

• Take a Picture of it! This way you can still keep the memory of how adorable it was, but not have to take up the space.
• Turn them into a book. Something fun to do with all of these pictures is to turn them into a keepsake photo book. You could do a book on all of the crafts, drawings and projects that your child did that year to highlight their accomplishments. I think it would be fun to chronicle the progression in my child’s artistic abilities each year; from preschool stick people to more mature, detailed portraits.
• Use them as gift wrapping and embellishments. A great thing to do with your child’s colorful scribbles, drawings and paintings is to save them to use as gift wrapping paper. Grandparents will especially love this (though they may have a hard time trying not to tear it)! And smaller crafts such as ornaments and things would be a great embellishment to add to the gift as well.
• Give them as gifts. Family members, grandparents again especially, my enjoy receiving a gift handmade by your child. And your little one will feel pride in making and giving something so special.
• Reuse them. If you have a craft that you’ve decided you are ready to toss, take a minute to see if there are still valuable parts on it. My daughter recently made an egg carton caterpillar (pictured above). Before I “give it a new home” (in the recycle bin), I’m going to take the “googly” eyes and the pipe cleaner antennae off to be used again in another project. No need to waste useful materials!
• Display It. I know, I know. We don’t really want our living room to look like a Kindergarten classroom, with paintings and crafts cluttering everything. But maybe there’s a good place to display one particularly special piece of art. Maybe on a bookshelf or a tabletop. Or hang a really colorful painting in a nice frame. Even displaying these things in your child’s own room will make them feel good about what they’ve done.
• Let them play. Let your child have fun playing with the new craft they’ve made. If it’s something you want to remember, take a picture of it first. And when it’s no longer an interest to him, take the useful parts off, and toss it. Your child may get lots of use out of it before it’s time is up!

So don’t feel badly about not keeping every single thing that they make. Do something more practical and useful with them! And if your child wonders where their project went, just tell them that you turned it into a picture to keep forever, and then show it to them. This should get a smile.

For more Works-For-Me-Wednesday ideas, go here!